Lisa Ann Walker
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Lisa's obituary
It feels impossible to sum up a woman this vibrant in a few paragraphs, but if you knew Lisa, you already know she wouldn’t want us to be too serious about it. Lisa left us far too early and unexpectedly on March 18, 2026. Everyone who loves her is still struggling to understand how someone so full of life could be gone so suddenly, but what we know for certain is how joyfully she lived, and on her own terms. If you were lucky enough to know her and be welcomed into her inner circle, you already have a story (or fifty), and probably a strong opinion she helped you form along the way.
Lisa Ann Walker, née Souza, was born on December 12, 1960, in Hartford, CT, to David Benevides Souza and Marie Vaillancourt (later Medeiros). She was raised in a working-class Portuguese-American neighborhood in Fall River, Massachusetts. She didn’t have the easiest childhood, but spent meaningful and formative time with her grandmother, “Mémère,” whom she loved deeply and later modeled her own Grammy-dom after. Lisa was the youngest of four and is survived by her three older siblings, David Souza (Anne) of Augusta, ME, Janice Bockhold of Ocala, FL, and her brother Michael Souza, along with his wife Cathy, niece Marissa and nephew Michael of Old Saybrook, CT. She was also very close to her nephew Ryan Steinberg of Southwick, MA.
Lisa was the most efficient, effective, and capable woman you’d ever meet. If it involved producing something impressive with your own skill, creativity, and two hands, she was a master. She gained her sea legs, and a true culinary talent, during her years as a chef on chartered boats in the Virgin Islands. If you’re reading this, she most likely found her way to your heart through your stomach in one way or another. In this premature loss, we are grieving many things, and not far down the list is the unfortunate decline in both the quality and quantity of our future charcuterie spreads and cheese boards. Her obsession with crafts, combined with her love of holidays, meant we were constantly in awe and delightfully surprised by what she created for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and her inexplicable favorite holiday---Easter. Baskets were filled year-round, and gifts were showered upon anyone in reach. You don’t know how badly you need a giant decoupaged Easter egg until you receive one from the craftiest woman in town.
The truest light of Lisa’s life was her son, Jared, who inherited her fierce, creative, independent spirit. Jared was born during Lisa’s marriage to John Walker of Old Lyme, CT, where they were married, made their home, and where Jared was raised. He wasn’t just the center of her world---he was her greatest pride, her favorite person, and the reason behind so many of her boldest decisions. If you really want to understand Lisa, you start with Jared---because everything she built, chose, and cherished somehow led back to him. The moment Lisa realized Jared was ready to settle down and start the next chapter of his life, she packed up everything in Maryland, where she was literally helping build a launchpad for NASA, and relocated to Central Texas to be near her soon-to-be growing family. Not long after moving to Texas, she found her role at Texas State University, and gained a daughter-in-law. Lisa threw everything she had into making Jared and Amber’s wedding in 2015 a magical time to remember. From handmade, themed garter belts, to a thousand paper cranes folded by hand, to a bachelorette snack spread that the girls are still talking about, she made the entire experience unforgettable.
Lisa “adopted” Jared and Amber’s family and friends into her life and cared deeply for them. She was thrilled to not only gain a daughter, but also two bonuses in Amber’s sisters, Brittany and Caitlin, whom she loved dearly.
Lisa found her work at Texas State University both challenging and fulfilling. While she was a true genius at managing construction projects, the best part of her time there was the selective and meaningful friendships she formed. She was discerning about who she let into her inner circle, but once you were in, the benefits---in the form of favors, food, and fierce loyalty, were more than worth it. She retired after over 10 years of service in January 2026. Good friends Jim and Sharon from her earlier years in Maryland and Florida came to celebrate alongside her more recent colleagues at a special retirement party at the end of January. No one could have guessed it would be their last time celebrating together. Her dear cat Genius, along with friends Arron McGinnis and Doug Levin, preceded her in death and were always on her heart.
The last eight years of Lisa’s life were devoted to being the very best Grammy to her granddaughter, “Little Liza Jane,” Elizabeth Jane Walker, born just one day before Lisa’s birthday in 2018. The two were linked at the hip and heart from the start. Lisa’s natural tendency to spoil, create, and love big found its perfect outlet in her new favorite role. What hurts most is knowing she’s no longer here to spoil her baby girl or teach her everything she knew---cooking, baking, crafting, building, sewing, gardening, and all the skills she had mastered and was so eager to pass on.
Beyond the select humans who meant the world to Lisa, a large piece of her heart belonged to her four-legged family. Her sweet Genius and Julius, who have crossed the Rainbow Bridge, along with kitty sisters Bella and Pearlie, and grand-dogs Ellie and Rex, were all deeply loved, thoroughly spoiled, and part of her daily joy.
Lisa did everything fully, fiercely, and with a lot of flair. The world will be a little less well-fed, a little less glittery, and a lot less interesting without her. We miss her more than we can possibly say, but we are endlessly grateful for the way she loved us---and for the pieces of her we carry with us every day. We will spend the rest of our lives telling Little Liza Jane stories about her Grammy: how she loved, how she created, and how she made everything and everyone around her better.
A casual graveside service will be held at 3:00pm on Saturday April 4, 2026, at Eloise Woods Natural Burials in Cedar Creek, TX. A Celebration of Life will follow at Eden East Farm, in the spirit of her final demands to do “Nothing sad! Have a party and drink all of my Johnnie Walker Blue”.
In lieu of flowers, you can honor Lisa by contributing to Liza Jane’s future education, something that reflects Lisa’s deep love of teaching, creating, and passing things on—a gift her Grammy would have absolutely loved giving. If you’d like to do so, visit ugift529.com and enter code 20Q-D1W.
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